Effects - why is cocaine linked to sudden death as apposed to other stimulants?

[ihavequestions]

swim did some reading and cocaine is always the drug that people warn about with the "sudden death syndrome", but never hears about other stimulants being linked to it. not even powerful ones like meth.

its said that even young healthy individuals with no heart conditions have died from it even at very small doses. it just seems random and seems to be unexplained.

does cocaine realy have a higher sudden death rate than other drugs? or do all drugs have that very rare chance and cocaine is the one people focus on?

and what is it about cocaines stimulant effects(which is usualy a subtle and controllable high) that causes this that are so different from other powerful stimulants?

[BoxStar]

Most likely because of local anesthetic effect on the heart and certain parts of the brain.

[ihavequestions]

swim came across this article. and was wondering with the information provided if there was any way to prevent what causes this sudden death? any supplements or over the counter drugs?


"Cocaine, in concentrations commonly sold on the street, causes the abnormal buildup of primitive proteins in heart muscle - a process causing heart enlargement that can ultimately lead to sudden death, report researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.

The study was published in the July 2006 issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.

"This finding is important because cocaine-related deaths most commonly occur in young people between the ages of 18 and 29, many of whom are totally unaware of the drug's toxic effects," said Robert Henning, MD, professor of medicine at the USF College of Medicine at the Haley VA Hospital.

Using heart muscle cells from adult rats, Dr. Henning and his colleagues found that cocaine activates the enzyme calmodulin kinase II (CaMK), which increases calcium within the heart muscle cells. The increase in calcium appears to be a key step in prompting the accumulation of primitive fetal proteins not normally found in adult heart muscle cells - a process that causes the muscles cells, and eventually the heart, to enlarge. It also triggers irregular heart rhythms that can cause sudden death.

The researchers also demonstrated that the CaMK inhibitors Nifedipine and KN-62 appear to limit the accumulation of abnormal proteins in heart muscle, suggesting they may be a useful therapy for cardiac hypertrophy, or enlarged heart.

The USF researchers' findings may also have wider implications for other forms of heart enlargement caused by chronic disease. "The biomolecular pathway that we've identified likely also plays an important role in heart hypertrophy due to hypertension, heart attacks and heart failure," Dr. Henning said.

In cardiac hypertrophy, or enlarged heart, the heart's main pumping chamber becomes abnormally large as a result of an increased workload. In time, fibers of the heart muscle thicken and become less able to relax, reducing the heart's capacity to meet the body's demands for normal blood circulation.

Approximately 5 million Americans use cocaine on a regular basis. Cardiac hypertrophy may affect as many as 47 percent of chronic cocaine users with normal blood pressure, Dr. Henning said."

here is the source to this article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51388.php

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for posting this

[Benga]

very interesting.
another lead is the mechanism described in this post
http://www.drugs-forum.co.uk/forum/s...&postcount=101
which isn't only at play with cocaethylene related issues.

b

[scarface2]

Swim wonders by taking Aspirin and Benzo before cocaine would cut down the risks of a sudden heart attack

[ihavequestions]

Originally Posted by scarface2

Swim wonders by taking Aspirin and Benzo before cocaine would cut down the risks of a sudden heart attack

the asprin may not be such a bad idea. the the benzo could put extra strain on the heart as uppers and downers are not reccomended exactly for that reason.

but swim just thought of another remedy. its cayenne pepper. the medical findings and benefits of cayenne are well known. swim used to suffer from bad bloody noses and decided to look up a remedy to help stop bleeding. cayenne pepper was the answer. swim now rarely gets bloody noses and when he does they are mild and stop literaly within 1-3 minutes. keep in mind swim used to bleed heavily for 20 mins. he now rarely even bruises and has very good veins and a good strong heart beat. swim will find a good link to the source of circulatory benefits of cayenne and post it to see everyones opinion as a possible aid to help prevent heart problems and cocaine.